Can you smell that? That’s right, it’s the smell of E3 in the air. Nothing gets a gamer’s jiggly-bits going like E3, and we here at Pixelosophy just can’t wait to get in on the excitement. With E3 next week, we decided to let you know what we want to see, don’t want to see, and what we think we’ll see from each company. So, lay back and relax as we take a break from “smart” talk this week. Also, let us know what your predictions are for the big show down in our comments section; we’d love to read them.
Nintendo
What I Want to See
Reggie. Let him do the entire conference, please. Aside from having Miyamoto and Iwata doing what they do, let Reggie handle all of the hype. He’s a natural showman. Other than that, I want games. I want to see what Miyamoto is working on. I want to see a tease of the new Zelda. I want to know what happened to Kid Icarus. I want to know what Retro Studios is up to. Give me the flagship titles. I also want the 3DS to blow me away, or at the very least interest me. I’m already interested, so it shouldn’t be that hard, but I just want the tech to be there and deliver in a big way. A new Professor Layton would obviously be great, and I think a hint at a new Mario Kart would be cool, although I won’t hold my breath since the first one still sells like hot cakes. Also, surprise me with a new IP.
What I Don’t Want to See
If Nintendo carts out that soccer mom to do the presentation again, I swear I’ll actually commit suicide on the episode. Not to beat a dead horse, but she is simply awful. It’s not her fault either. Nintendo keeps making her go out there and compete for the most awkward presentation award, and I have no idea why. I also don’t want a show that focuses all on “casual” games. I know it makes them truckloads of money, but I’m getting a bit tired of it. I’ve always been a Nintendo supporter, but it is getting harder and harder when we get great games from Sony and Microsoft and only one or two a year from the big N.
What We’ll Probably See
Everything I just wrote in the previous paragraph. Seriously, why would Nintendo change course? Their current business plan is a one-way ticket to every employee owning their own island. We’ll probably see that Mii Party game that was teased earlier, which could be good despite being just another mini-game fest. While the Mario Party games have become a bit stale, they are generally still fun for a night with friends. We’ll maybe see another Wii Fit update. I do think that we’ll get some hint at Zelda since it’s been four years since the last one was released. What we know we’ll see is the 3DS. I think that this could be the show-stealer this year, and I am very interested already in seeing what this thing can do.
Sony
What I Want to See
Kevin Butler. If they put this man on stage for their entire presentation, I will say they won the show. I don’t know a single gamer that doesn’t love the commercials he’s in, and it would be a definite plus for Sony. Other than that, I just want to see the games. Fish always talks about how we’re in the best time for this generation of consoles because developers have things figured out and we’re just getting good games. Sony’s system is no exception to this, and they have put out some great games recently. Maybe give me a tease of a new Uncharted just so I know it’s being worked on. Obviously The Last Guardian is high on everybody’s list. Even though I was disappointed by the first one, I will be interested to see what Infamous 2 will have to offer. As with Nintendo, surprise me with some great new IP. Little Big Planet, Uncharted, Infamous, and ModNation Racers are all new IP’s from just this generation, so I know that they’re capable of producing them.
What I Don’t Want to See
I’m already over the Move, so I really don’t want to see this. Unless there is some unbelievable game out there for it that we don’t know about, I really don’t care. And if they are going to show it, I don’t want to see half-assed Wii upgrades. I also don’t want to see a lot of numbers. Sony has been bad about this in the past, but hopefully we’ll just get games. Speaking of games, I don’t want to see a lot of games that we have no idea when they are going to come out. GT5, The Agency, and other countless games that they have shown in the past that have actually been canceled just get my hopes up and disappoint me when I find out I’ll never get my hands on them.
What We’ll Probably See
The Move. It’s their big product, so it’s inevitable. I would guess that we’ll get a decent amount of Killzone 3 since that was recently announced, which could be cool. I also think we’ll probably see Infamous 2, again, since it was recently made official. DC Universe Online could possibly make an appearance. We haven’t seen a lot on it lately, and with a target release in November, some new information would be nice.
Microsoft
What I Want to See
Games. I don’t care who they cart up there for this one; I just want to see games, games, and more games. Sony has done a great job the last couple of years when it comes to this and has embarrassed Microsoft when it comes to flat out games. Show me the heavy hitters that are going to make me get back into playing my Xbox. To be honest, the PS3 has been getting way more attention, and it’s sad. Also, show me why I want to go out and buy Natal. So far I haven’t seen it, but I want to.
What I Don’t Want to See
People playing games for long stretches. This is where Sony won the show last year, and Microsoft lost it. Sony assaulted us with game videos and quick demos last year while Microsoft showcased about four and let people sit and play them. That’s not fun. Just hit me with some big titles and a badass trailer, and I’ll be set. The other major thing I don’t want to see: Flailing. Watching a recent video of a journalist play Natal was a lot like watching the beginning of 2001: A Space Odyssey. If there aren’t full games worth playing with Natal, I don’t want to see it. Also, don’t show me stupid “apps” like you did with Twitter and Facebook. Personally, I don’t care. I want games. Silly me, I know.
What We’ll Probably See
Well, we know we’re going to see Natal. In fact, it’s getting its own show. On the regular Microsoft conference, side of things I’m going to guess that we’ll see some Gears 3. Hulu being announced in some capacity also seems like a lock with all of the recent rumors, so I would expect that. Other than that, I’m really not sure. Everybody has kind of dumped all of the big titles in the early part of the year, so I’m really excited to see what is going to be at E3, especially from Microsoft because they’re the biggest wildcard to me. Crackdown 2 will be released shortly after the show, so anything having to do with that seems irrelevant to me. We’ll probably see more Halo: Reach stuff, and possibly something Halo related that we have no idea about. Given the events of last year, I would expect Microsoft to maybe have another big announcement of something that they have stolen away from Sony, so look out for that.